Matt Grant

Yesterday a class action lawsuit was filed against ABC andThe Bachelor by Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson, two Africa-American men who claim they were discriminated against at a recent Bachelor casting event. A photo of the two men is above.

“This is a case about equal opportunity,” said Cyrus Mehri, who is one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs. “It’s about putting everyone on equal footing. We’re not saying that these two men should definitely have been selected. This is saying that they should have been given the same level of consideration as white applicants.” According to the LA Times, both men say, upon their arrival at a 2011 casting call they were treated with disrespect and largely ignored while white counterparts were treated completely differently.

Nathaniel Claybrooks, a small business owner, alleges his on-camera interview was much shorter than the ones given to white applicants and he was not given the same opportunities. Christopher Johnson says after handing in his application, he was unable to proceed past the lobby into the main interview room while white applicants were ushered right through by casting officials.

Both men claim rejection has nothing to do with their suit, but an effort to change the process and bring awareness to blatant discrimination. It’s worth adding that in fifteen seasons of The Bachelor, there has never been a bachelor of a different ethnic background. Nor has there been a Bachelorette of a different ethnicity. Now I’m not saying that’s intentional on the show’s part, but it is worth investigating. Show creator Mike Fleiss joked about this in an interview, saying former Bachelorette Ashely Hebert may have been 1/16th Cherokee.

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages. “But basically, this is about the need for reform,” their lawyer explains. ABC declined to comment on the recent suit.

Discussing the suit are two former Bachelor contestants. “It is clearly not right that after 10 years of successive seasons there hasn’t been a black Bachelor or Bachelorette, especially when we have a black president,” Matt Grant, star of The Bachelor, Season 12 told RadarOnline.

“As one of the longest running reality shows on TV, The Bachelor is a national brand, a part of American pop culture and part of the make-up of the country,” Matt continued “It should definitely be more racially diverse because it is not reflecting the demographic of the nation right now.” Matt adds that during his season, London Calling, there was only one African-American woman competing to be his wife – and he claims he brought up the lack of diversity with producers!

“While I don’t think any of the producers are inherently racist,” he added, “I just think that mistakes are being made.” Matt believes the contestants are merely chosen to reflect the primary viewership. “The real reason for it I think is because most of the viewers are from the middle of the country and are predominantly white. Which leads to the moral question, ‘Should The Bachelor cast reflect the viewing demographic or the real national demographic?’” This Matt is pretty smart isn’t he? He needed television to find a wife?

“If you have more black people involved in the show then maybe more black people would watch,” said Matt added.

Also speaking out, is former Bachelor and Bachelor Padnut contestant, Elizabeth Kitt. “The cast was predominantly white,” she tells RadarOnline. “I didn’t hear any racist slurs during filming so to say the show is racist is going too far, if you throw that out there too many times it is the boy who cried wolf.”

Elizabeth seems to think the lawsuit is baseless and believes it’s simply a case of more white people applying to be on the show, a sentiment Mike Fleiss has also echoed. “I’m a little annoyed by the lawsuit, if you want to be on the show – then apply!”

[Photo Credit: LA Times]

DO THE PLAINTIFFS HAVE A POINT? IS THE BACHELOR INTENTIONALLY CASTING WHITE CONTESTANTS OR IS IT MERELY A COINCIDENCE? DOES THE BACHELOR NEED TO DIVERSIFY?

Bachelor alum Emily Maynard is a popular girl! First it was reported that she is dating Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey (although he denied it via Twitter and then linked to his actual girlfriend) and now it seems her ex-fiance, and the very most pathetic contestant in Bachelor history, Brad Womack just won’t leave her alone!

Unfortunately those rumors about Emily dating Jeremy have led Brad to tirelessly drunk dial his ex! Brad “filled up her voicemail with messages of him crying, saying how upset he was that she was with someone else,” a source claims.

Us Weekly is now reporting that Brad “calls Emily every day and at all hours,” despite the fact that he is no longer interested in being romantically involved! “He doesn’t want her back,” a source explains – he just can’t lose her number!

“She just doesn’t pick up. They actually haven’t spoken for months,” the source continues. “She feels like he is so messed up!” Um, you are not alone in thinking that, Emily!

While one Bachelor couple has ended in despair, another one seems to be happily dating! Season 12 Bachelor Matt Grant and Bachelor Pad winner Natalie Getz are apparently a couple.

A close friend of Natalie’s discloses that the pair are “100 percent dating!”

The couple allegedly got together, not at one of zillion Bachelor-family reunions, but at their Local LA Starbucks after they kept randomly bumping into each other! Kinda nice, actually. A friend of Matt’s informs us, “They always saw each other, so one day he was like, ‘Let’s hang out,’ because he thought she was fun. It was totally organic.”

“It’s still new, but they’ve gone out a few times and are seeing how things go,” the friend continues. “Their friends think they’re a good match.” Best of luck to the new couple. And best of luck to Emily in getting away from her stalker Brad!

Thoughts on Brad calling Emily obsessively, despite not wanting her back? Crazy, desperate, or kind of sad? Are you happy for Matt and Natalie?

Just months after making headlines for her quickie marriage to blogger Nik Richie, formerBachelor winner Shayne Lamas is making headlines once again – this time for getting a dramatic boob makeover.

RadarOnline is reporting the 24-year-old got breast implants and looks to have gone from a modest A cup to an eye-popping DD. Shayne was photographed above on Thursday as she strolled the beach with husband Nik. And yes the two are still shockingly married.

Shayne and Nik got married in Las Vegas back in April after only knowing each other for a few days. Shayne was previously engaged to Bachelor Matt Grant after winning his heart on the show’s 12th season.

Nik tweeted the following to his wife yesterday, linking to the RadarOnline article – “Looks like the cat is out of the bag… nice +2’s @shaynedahllamas pics.” How romantic.

TMZ is reporting that Shayne,24, tied the knot with Nik Richie over the weekend after only knowing him for less than 24 hours. Nik Richie is the guy behind the popular blog – TheDirty.com, you know the blog that posted the infamous vibrator photos of Gretchen Rossi.

According to TMZ, Shayne and Nik wed at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. They opted for the $519 “Michael Jordan Package” at the chapel.

Shayne won season 12 of The Bachelor, later breaking off her engagement to Matt Grant in July 2008. Shayne also starred on her E! reality show Leave It to the Lamas last year.

The winner of of Matt Grant‘s heart on The Bachelor: London Calling, Shayne Lamas, is getting her own reality show on the E! Network. Shayne and Matt broke up last year due to rumors Matt wanted to marry her for a green card and that Shayne had allegedly cheated on him.

Leave it to Lamaswill follow the former Bachelor star and the rest of her family as they live their Hollywood lifestyles.

We can expect to see some major drama on the show as it will feature Shayne’s dad — Lorenzo Lamas, as well as Shayne’s brother — AJ Lamas. It is alleged that Shauna Sand, Lorenzo’s fourth wife and a former Playboy model, allegedly slept with AJ, her 18-year-old stepson a while back. It should make for interesting TV to see how the family deals with this tidbit of info.

Shayne’s half sister Dakota Pike, their mom and Lorenzo’s ex-wife Michele Smith, will also make appearances on the show. The show is being produced by Bachelor creator Mike Fleiss.

Leave it to Lamas is set to premiere Sunday, October 11 at 10:30pm ET –immediately after The Girls Next Door‘s sixth season premiere.

A month after Jason Mesnick did the unthinkable by dumping his fiance – Melissa Rycroft on national television, people continue to have strong opinions on his actions. Ex Bachelor Matt Grant recently spoke out and says Jason’s decision was not smart.

Matt told People, “This guy kind of committed suicide. He’s a nice man. I’ve met him quite a few times. But I think he should have gone about it differently.” We couldn’t agree more with Matt. Why any man would think it’s okay to dump your fiance in front of the world is beyond us.

Matt however gives credit to Jason for owning up to his mistake. “Ultimately, he had the [guts] to say, ‘I screwed up.”

Matt is now dating his publicist Sarah Robarts. He ended his relationship with his bachelor pick and fiance Shayne Dahl Lamas last year.